Stars align as international film practitioners converge on Brisbane

Brisbane’s reputation as an Asia-Pacific cultural hub has been enhanced following the announcement that a key regional animation summit will be staged in the city during the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) this November.

The Asian Animation Summit (AAS) will be held in the city from 22 – 24 November, coinciding with the Awards and the opening night of the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival (BAPFF).

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said showcasing the animated films and filmmakers of the Asia Pacific further profiled Queensland as an international screen hub. 

“The Queensland Government has attracted the Asian Animation Summit to Brisbane, which will provide great opportunities for Queensland and Australian animation producers to pitch their series to the world.

“I will continue to forge ahead, building relationships with companies to ensure Queensland is seen as the prime location for any new productions and that jobs will continue to be created for locals, Ms Palaszczuk said. 

Screen Queensland supports the AAS and is the founding sponsor of the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival.

AAS attracts producers of animation who are interested in co-producing projects with partners in the Asia Pacific as well as broadcasters, distributors and investors from the region and beyond.

During the important industry event, 24 new audio-visual projects from Australia, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific looking for financing and partners will be presented.

The summit will attract 200 film practitioners to Brisbane and was the result of collaboration between Screen Queensland and Brisbane Marketing.

Screen Queensland CEO Tracey Vieira said hosting the Asian Animation Summit would help to position the state as a leader in innovative screen content production.

“The AAS facilitates the co-production of Asian-region animation projects for television, subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services and the internet,” Ms Vieira said.

Screen Queensland has already developed a number of successful Australian-first initiatives in this area, and I look forward to further developments.” 

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said APSA was an important factor in luring AAS to Brisbane.

“APSA recognises and promotes the cinematic excellence and cultural diversity of the Asia Pacific region while BAPFF screens the most outstanding cinema from this region - including a selection of APSA-nominated films,” he said.

“Attracting AAS to Brisbane is proof of our city’s cultural influence in the Asia Pacific region and will provide an important boost for the local and regional film industry.”

AAS will be joined in Brisbane by another film industry event - the CILECT (The International Association of Film and Television Schools) Congress, which will bring together audio-visual education institution representatives from around the world.

The conferences will together attract 400 delegates to Brisbane and, along with APSA’s international guests, will bring more than 500 international film practitioners to Brisbane for the awards.

APSA Chairman Michael Hawkins said the conferences would play an important part in delivering economic value to Brisbane.

“The awards will provide the perfect opportunity for the conference delegates and APSA guests and nominees to collaborate on a scale the film industry hasn’t seen in Australia before.

“In our 10^th edition of APSA, we are delighted to showcase the creativity of our neighbouring cultures in the vast Asia Pacific region to an international audience of some 500 leading film practitioners.”